[Baron357]

I would like to do some small quantity reloading for a .45 colt and maybe .454 (same gun). Is there any inexpensive equipment that I can buy or is a large investment needed to produce quality rounds. By inexpensive I mean less the $200 for everything.

What I said above is most important but it would also be nice if I could do other rounds like .357, but still in small quantities.

[Walkalong]

Lee. Inexpensive and works fine. :)

[Ol` Joe]

This kit plus a set of dies ($30) and a caliper will get you going. There are others out there but I personally prefer RCBS for single stage presses kits.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/productview?saleitemid=140616&t=11082005

[pinkymingeo]

I figured I'd start small. I now have dies for five calibers, thousands of bullets, mountains of powder and reloading stuff piled in every corner. Oh, well.

[strat81]

Lee. I'd say get the Classic Cast, but if you are on a tight budget, a Challenger should be okay.

Besides that, things you MUST have: scale, calipers, and safety glasses.

[Baron357]

Thanks guys

[NavyLCDR]

"I figured I'd start small. I now have dies for five calibers, thousands of bullets, mountains of powder and reloading stuff piled in every corner. Oh, well."

Same here, 8 calibers, though. The bottleneck now is still pounding them out on my single stage press! Add to that 1,000 rounds each of completed 9mm, .45 acp and .223 in storage. I also reload 30-30, .45 Colt, .460 S&W and 8mm Lebel. I have started picking up brass for 7.62 x 39R but waiting to go through the mil surp ammo I still have left.

I am still using the LEE anniversary kit I started with.

[Wedge]

I started with the Lee Anniversary kit and I am still using it. Cheap to start out and works well.

[redneck2]

When I started years and years ago, I used a Lee Handloader kit. Real PITA but it worked for my first 22-250. You can still get them for maybe $25.

I'd suggest a Lee Turret. Even if you don't want to spend the very few extra bucks for the turret, if you used it sided by side against a single stage, you'd find out the difference quick. Using a single stage for pistol is like painting a barn with a toothbrush. It'll work, but it's a long, slow process.

[philbo]

For small quantities go w/Lee turret. You can get a refurbed press direct from Lee for less than $60 shipped. Buy a 4 piece set of dies for the 45 colt and you should be ready to start.

http://www.leeprecision.com/html/catalog/surplus.html

[lee n. field]

I would like to do some small quantity reloading for a .45 colt and maybe .454 (same gun).

Lee Hand Press. Ideal for what you describe (small quantities of handgun ammo). Lee diesets will include a shell holder, powder scoop and load data. Don't need to get too much more than that (though you should).

[yhtomit]

I'd never looked at the Pro 1000 before -- but led there by a link from that surplus page, and ... huh. That would be worth having for 9mm alone :)

timothy

[PowderApe]

Don't believe it!! Plan for the inevitable! Don't think that you're only going to be doing small quantities!! We ALL went through it!

Even tho you don't have much cash to spend starting out, get your equipment so that you can add to it as your cashflow and interests grow! Get good stuff and watch the paper or ebay for add-on used stuff and go to gun shows- there's lots of cool stuff (as well as overpriced trash)

A good core start-up setup that I'd recommend would be a Lee combo kit where you get a single stage press including the die set of your choice of caliber, scale, primer, powder thrower- you add bullets, primers and powder!!

Lee's stuff is durable and very affordable and pretty dependable resulting in very high quality and inexpensive ammo

This setup will keep you going for quite a while (I'm still using my 1st press for the last 45 years!! It's not my primary press any more, but it's still mounted to the bench and used for very small batches or miscellaneous odd jobs (collet bullet puller; primer pocket swager; etc)

You DON'T need any fancy fully auto turret whizbang gizmo press... Once you get the knack with an introductory setup, you'll figure out what you like and don't like and buy future equipment to either enhance your present equipment or replace it with newer stuff.

Ask anyone..... we ALL started small and look what happens! Welcome and enjoy the new habit ....errr, I mean HOBBY!:)

[RobZ71LM7]

LEE Classic Cast single stage press (cast iron)
LEE autoprime (or safety prime if you'd prefer to do it on the press rather than hand prime)
LEE perfect powder measure
powder funnel
LEE dies
Any decent beam balance scale
6" std dial calipers
Midway FA tumbler
(a few misc things I left out-I didn't include anything necessary for bottleneck rifle rounds)

All of the above will serve you well on a budget. The cast iron single stage LEE is a bargain and very stout unlike other LEE presses. If you go progressive in the future you'll still want these items anyways so you're not buying twice.

EDIT: If you want you can buy the LEE Anniversary kit and ditch the Challenger press for a Classic Cast.

[bakert]

For less than $100 total, the small Lee C Reloader Press, a set of dies and a scale will do quite quite well to get started or just load small quantities of a certain cartridge. Of course once you start, the list of things you need or think you need keeps growing, growing-----:)

[PowderApe]

Can't go wrong for for a $120 bucks! ...at least for starters.

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1183485768.5355=/html/catalog/anivers.html

None of this is "top of the line" stuff, but it'll get you rolling out good ammo

[trueblue1776]

Midway has a Lee Challenger kit with EVERYTHING (less dies) for about 60 bucks. Powder measure, scale, press, auto-prime and a few other bits. You're not gonna get cheaper than that!

[Baron357]

Whats the difference between the Challenger press and the Classic Cast?

[Ol` Joe]

Whats the difference between the Challenger press and the Classic Cast

Cast Iron vs Cast aluminum, there is also I believe a size difference.

[Baron357]

Cast Iron vs Cast aluminum, there is also I believe a size difference.

Thanks

[Vern Humphrey]

Lee Hand Press. Ideal for what you describe (small quantities of handgun ammo). Lee diesets will include a shell holder, powder scoop and load data. Don't need to get too much more than that (though you should).

Amen. And the Hand Press will serve as your range reloading set if you move on to bigger and better things -- I've developed many a load, sitting there at the bench, with a cardboard box over the scale to keep it from being disturbed by wind. Once you get the right load, you can go home and go into production on your new super-progressive.

[Matt Dillon]

+1 on what RobZ71LM7 said.
Whats the difference between the Challenger press and the Classic Cast
I have both, purchased the Challenger, and for a few bucks more, later on purchased the Classic Cast. The difference is, that your buy a Classic Cast now, and it may be the last single stage press you buy the rest of your life.
Whatever you do, please do yourself a favor and purchase a set of check weights for for whatever scale you decide to purchase (my personal recommendation is an RCBS 10/10); buy this scale and you may never have to purchase another one the rest of your life. Nothing wrong with looking at eBay to buy used equipment; but you don't want to scrimp on your powder scale nor press. They aren't much more expensive than some of the cheap items, but you will be MUCH more satisfied with them in the long run.

[trueblue1776]

Don't be afraid of the Challenger press, especially if you will be loading straight wall cartridges.

[Hawk]

I will cheerfully defer to those with more knowledge and experience than I with respect to "inexpensive reloading equipment for small quantities".

But.
Dude.

I would like to do some small quantity reloading for a .45 colt...

If you can load small quantities of .45 Colt you have both my admiration and no small amount of my envy.

Start loading .45 Colt and you're toast. It's the closest thing to firearms crack I've yet encountered. Good luck to you, though.

[BAT1]

Best "bang" for the "buck". 149 .00 for a kit but the press, dies and powder funnel with riser won't break the bank. Will do tall cartridges, and is great for making .45 ammo. Get more features later. Concentrate on the scale.

[poor_richard]

I started with a Lee hand press last year. I also have a friend with a Challenger press. However, once my father bought the Lee Classic Turret press, I find myself using it more since it works better. If I had the space I would get the Classic Turret Press. I can load about 125-150 rounds per hour on the Turret (taking my time), while it just took me about 2 hours to load 100 rounds on the hand press (and that was with cases already sized and primed). I also agree that the hand press isn’t as good with pistol ammo. With the Classic Turret with A/I, you can disable the A/I for a single stage turret. That way you can do single stage until you feel comfortable. A hand press is good for someone with limited space, and would be good for the field/range, but do yourself a favor and get a bench mounted press if it's workable for you.

This kit will have everything you need to start (less the check weights, and dies):
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0044122216337a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&No=20&noImage=0&Ntt=lee&Ntk=Products&QueryText=lee&Ntx=matchall&N=4887&Nty=1

[yhtomit]

"Midway has a Lee Challenger kit with EVERYTHING (less dies) for about 60 bucks. Powder measure, scale, press, auto-prime and a few other bits. You're not gonna get cheaper than that!"


If I'd thought harder (and been less impatient to get a scale), I would have supplemented the Kempf kit of Lee gear (with the Classic Cast press) with the Midway kit; instead, I foolishly bought an RCBS scale for nearly as much as that whole kit, and have yet to use it, so I certainly could have waited for mail order!

OTOH, I'm sure that it wouldn't harm me to have two scales around, and a backup press, and and and ... $60 you say? Tempty tempty.

timothy